amazing guy. Motivation and tenacity have resulted in a really solid growth period.” But there are many keys to growth. “Motivated sailors, easy access to good equipment and everyone just having fun and getting along. Then others see this and they just want to be part of it.”
music
Michael Kurtz
In terms of possible future venues he’d like to see the Masters pick, he mentioned previous venues that made a lasting impact. “There are plenty that I think we shouldn’t go to, but it would be nice to go back to Maubuisson and PuntAla as these are such good venues that are very suited to the masters.” Jake is now living back in Australia, where there is something of a revival in Finn sailing going on. “It’s an amazing story. I have sailed the Finn in Australia for many years and currently we are having a ball. There is so much growth going on in this great class. There have definitely been some key ingredients like Rob McMillan, who seems to have made it his life’s ambition to build the Finn class and share his love for the boat. Our current class president, Phil Chadwick, is also an
Outside of sailing he runs a construction company that builds apartment buildings and bespoke houses, but his other love is music and is something of a country music star, recording under the name of Jake Jackson. “Well I have a lot of fun making music and singing. I have had some success with different things but an album that I did in 2014 got a heap of airplay and resulted in a top ten single. I’m currently trying to finish another album but sailing seems to be getting in the way as usual.” And finally, does he think it is realistic to venture outside Europe again? There has been much talk of perhaps taking the Finn Masters to Australia. “Honestly I don’t think it is realistic to go to Australia. I will get in trouble for saying this but I do see the Finn Masters as a European event and unless somebody came up with a great shipping deal it would be a little unfair to drag the whole fleet to the other side of the world unless there was a very strong feeling from the fleet that they wanted to go. There are some great and very suitable venues down here but it would require a strong consensus. It can get windy down here so that may be tricky too.”
FINN MASTERS MAGAZINE & YEARBOOK 2018
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